Neurocrine Biosciences to Present at the Credit Suisse 26th Annual Healthcare Conference

On October 31, 2017 Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: NBIX) reported that Kevin Gorman, CEO of Neurocrine Biosciences, will be presenting at the Credit Suisse 26th Annual Healthcare Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona (Press release, Neurocrine Biosciences, OCT 31, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2312932 [SID1234521370]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Know more, wherever you are:
Latest on Neurocrine Biosciences’ Cancer Pipeline, book your free 1stOncology demo here.

The live presentation takes place on Wednesday, November 8 at 9:30am ET (6:30am PT). The presentation will be webcast and may be accessed on the Company’s website at View Source

Listeners are encouraged to visit the website approximately 5 minutes prior to the presentation to download or install any necessary software. A replay of the presentation will be available on the website approximately one hour after the conclusion of the event and will be archived for one month.

Alkermes’ Corporate Presentation to be Webcast at the Credit Suisse 26th Annual Healthcare Conference

On October 31, 2017 Alkermes plc (NASDAQ: ALKS) reported that its corporate presentation will be webcast live at the Credit Suisse 26th Annual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017 at 9:45 a.m. MT (11:45 a.m. ET/4:45 p.m. GMT) from The Phoenician in Scottsdale, AZ (Press release, Alkermes, OCT 31, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2312944 [SID1234521365]). The presentation may be accessed under the Investors tab on www.alkermes.com and will be archived for 14 days.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Know more, wherever you are:
Latest on Alkermes’ Cancer Pipeline, book your free 1stOncology demo here.

Alkermes plc is a fully integrated, global biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases. The company has a diversified commercial product portfolio and a substantial clinical pipeline of product candidates for chronic diseases that include schizophrenia, depression, addiction and multiple sclerosis. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Alkermes plc has an R&D center in Waltham, Massachusetts; a research and manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland; and a manufacturing facility in Wilmington, Ohio. For more information, please visit Alkermes’ website at www.alkermes.com.

MabVax Therapeutics Provides Update on the MVT-5873 Phase 1 Clinical Program and Expansion of Preclinical Development Pipeline at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference

On October 31, 2017 MabVax Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBVX), a clinical-stage oncology drug development company focused on the development of antibody-based products to address unmet medical needs in the treatment of cancer, reported an important update on its HuMab-5B1 clinical program as well as presented preclinical data for its HuMab-Tn research program describing a new series of fully-human antibodies targeting ovarian and breast cancer at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC AACR-NCI-EORTC (Free AACR-NCI-EORTC Whitepaper) International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (EORTC-NCI-AACR) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper) held October 26 – 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Press release, MabVax, OCT 31, 2017, View Source [SID1234521357]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Know more, wherever you are:
Latest on AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC through 1stOncology, book your free 1stOncology demo here.

MabVax Therapeutics Logo (PRNewsfoto/MabVax Therapeutics Holdings, I)

Three posters were presented by Paul W. Maffuid, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Development, outlining important progress in the Company’s lead fully human antibody programs, HuMab-5B1 currently in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and other CA19-9 positive malignancies, and HuMab-Tn currently in preclinical development with potential clinical utility in breast and ovarian cancers.

MVT-5873 in combination with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine as first line therapy – The Company reported that newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer patients participating in the Phase 1 clinical trial of MVT-5873, when given in combination with first line nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine, demonstrated reductions in tumor size after the first two months of therapy. The data reported from this dose escalation safety study included safety data from 7 patients at 1mg/kg and 0.125mg/kg. After the first cohort was treated at 1mg/kg, the MVT-5873 dose was reduced to 0.125 mg/kg in combination with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine as the lower dose appears to be generally well tolerated. Two of 3 patients at this lower dose had a partial response (PR) with the remaining patient recording stable disease (SD). One patient continues therapy after six-months. The Company is currently enrolling an additional cohort of patients at the 0.125mg/kg cohort and expects to report on additional data near the end of this year.

Utility of HuMab-5B1 (MVT-5873) in cancers beyond pancreatic cancer – At the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC meeting, the Company presented a series of studies examining expression of CA19-9 on tumor microarrays (TMA) and patient derived tumor xenografts (PDX). The results support the expansion of clinical studies of MVT-5873 for the treatment of other CA19-9 positive malignancies, including colorectal, small cell lung and non-small lung cell cancers. Human colorectal (CRC) TMA samples displayed moderate to high levels of positive staining with MVT-5873 in >75% of tumor samples evaluated. MVT-5873 staining of PDX samples was positive in 21% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 50% of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and 69% of CRC cores evaluated. The study included PDX samples from patients with KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, or MMR pathway mutations and PDX samples rendered chemoresistant. These results support that expression of CA19-9 in these tumor types is unaffected by mutational status or treatment with chemotherapy. Based on these encouraging data, the Company plans to enroll and treat patients in its ongoing clinical trials with tumor types beyond pancreatic cancer. The Company has previously reported Phase 1a results for MVT-5873 as a single agent in pancreatic cancer patients.

New antibodies focused on the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer – The Company presented data from its lead preclinical development program summarizing the discovery, optimization, and target validation of new series of fully-human antibodies targeting the Thomsen-nouveau (Tn) and the sialyl Tn (sTn) carbohydrate antigens that have potential use for the treatment of patients with ovarian and breast cancers. Tissue microarray data support that these carbohydrate antigens are present on a broad array of tumor types and minimally seen on normal tissues. The results summarized the binding specificity, high affinity, and internalization data that make this series of antibodies attractive as development candidates. Target validation data included screening against multiple patient tumor microarrays of breast, lung, ovarian and colon cancer. 90% of samples from patients with triple negative breast cancer and 50% of samples from patient with ovarian cancer tested positive. A patent application covering this series of antibodies was recently filed by the Company and it is actively advancing the lead series.

[PDF]Concerning an Announcement by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited

On October 31, 2017 Today Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, parent company of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, "Kyowa Hakko Kirin") reported "Notice Regarding Termination of Joint Venture Agreement with Amgen Inc (Press release, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, OCT 31, 2017, View Source [SID1234521327])." However, this matter will not impact the business of Kyowa Hakko Kirin, and Kyowa Hakko Kirin will continue to develop, manufacture and sell pharmaceuticals licensed by Kirin-Amgen, Inc.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!


Incyte and AstraZeneca to Enter Clinical Trial Collaboration in Early Lung Cancer

On October 31, 2017 Incyte Corporation (Nasdaq:INCY) and MedImmune, AstraZeneca’s (NYSE:AZN) global biologics research and development arm, reported the expansion of their clinical collaboration (Press release, Incyte, OCT 31, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2312658 [SID1234521326]). As part of the agreement, the companies will evaluate the efficacy and safety of epacadostat, Incyte’s investigational selective IDO1 enzyme inhibitor, in combination with AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi (durvalumab), a human monoclonal antibody directed against PD-L1, compared to Imfinzi alone.
The exclusive collaboration for the study population allows the two companies to conduct a Phase 3 trial in patients with locally-advanced (Stage III), unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has not progressed following platinum-based chemotherapy concurrent with radiation therapy (CRT).
"We are pleased to expand our ongoing clinical collaboration with AstraZeneca and to further explore the potential of epacadostat in patients with locally-advanced unresectable lung cancer," said Steven Stein, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Incyte. "We look forward to beginning this additional pivotal trial for epacadostat, as we seek to position IDO1 enzyme inhibition as a key component of combination immunotherapy."
"Imfinzi has shown exciting clinical potential in treating patients with locally-advanced lung cancer. We are pleased to build on recent data from the PACIFIC trial to further explore how Imfinzi, in combination with an IDO1 enzyme inhibitor, could provide additional benefit to patients with locally-advanced lung cancer," said Sean Bohan, Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Chief Medical officer, AstraZeneca.
The Phase 3 trial, which will be co-funded by the two companies and will be conducted by AstraZeneca, is expected to begin enrolling patients in the first-half of 2018. This agreement builds on an existing clinical collaboration for epacadostat and Imfinzi, announced by both companies in May 2014.
About Locally Advanced (Stage III) NSCLC
Stage III lung cancer is divided into two stages (IIIA and IIIB), which are defined by how much the cancer has spread locally and the possibility of surgery.
Stage III lung cancer represents approximately one-third of NSCLC incidence and was estimated to affect around 105,000 patients in seven leading markets1 in 2016. More than half of these patients have tumors that are unresectable. The current standard of care is chemotherapy and radiation followed by active surveillance to monitor for progression. The prognosis remains poor and long-term survival rates are low.
About Epacadostat (INCB024360)
The immunosuppressive effects of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) enzyme activity on the tumor microenvironment help cancer cells evade immunosurveillance. Epacadostat is an investigational, highly potent and selective oral inhibitor of the IDO1 enzyme. In single-arm studies, the combination of epacadostat and immune checkpoint inhibitors has shown proof-of-concept in patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and bladder cancer. In these studies, epacadostat combined with the CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab or the PD-1 inhibitors pembrolizumab or nivolumab improved response rates compared with studies of the immune checkpoint inhibitors alone.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!